Australian Sky & Telescope — July 2017

64 AUSTRALIAN SKY & TELESCOPE July 2017

STAR TRACKERS

iOptron SkyTracker

ioptron.com • US$299

This compact rectangular tracker weighs 1.2 kg and is rated to

bear a load of up to 3.5 kg. Its built-in alt-azimuth adjustments work

in conjunction with an included illuminated polar-alignment scope

and an optional iOptron Polar Scope smartphone alignment app to

achieve very accurate alignment. The SkyTracker can be used in both

Hemispheres and has four tracking rates: sidereal, 0.5× sidereal (good

for nightscapes), solar and lunar. The unit can run for up to 24 hours

on four AA batteries. Optional accessories include a counterweight

package, tripod, AC adapter and ball head. Although recently

discontinued, this model is still readily available.

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer

skywatcheraustralia.com.au • Starting at AUD$499

Sky-Watcher’s Star Adventurer is a versatile tracker with lots of

options that can even be expanded to be a complete, lightweight

equatorial mount. Weighing 1 kg, it can handle a payload of 5 kg

and includes an illuminated polar-alignment scope. The mount can

operate in both Hemispheres and includes sidereal, lunar and solar

tracking, as well as 0.5×, 2×, 6× and 12× sidereal rates to assist

with nightscape time-lapse animations. It can also connect to your

Canon or Nikon DSLR to trigger exposures with an appropriate

cable. You can slew in either direction in RA at 12× to assist with

framing your subject. The unit operates for up to 72 hours on 4 AA

batteries, or it can be powered through a mini-USB port.

The mount also has an RJ-12 port that supports standard

autoguiders to permit even longer exposures when shooting with

long telephoto lenses.

Optional accessories include a Latitude (EQ) Base, a declination

bracket and a counterweight kit.

Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer Mini

skywatcheraustralia.com.au • Starting at AUD$479

Sky-Watcher recently announced a new star tracker, the Star

Adventurer Mini. Weighing just 680 grams, it’s smaller and

lighter than the Star Adventurer and can carry up to 3.2 kg. The

mount includes the same drive modes as the Star Adventurer,

with some innovative additional options that allow you to pro-

gram multi-panel panoramas. It can also connect to your Canon

or Nikon DSLR to trigger exposures with an appropriate cable.

The Star Adventurer Mini can operate for up to 72 hours on an

internal rechargeable battery or be powered through a mini-USB

port. Additionally, it can be controlled via a Wi-Fi connection and

free smartphone app. The base model includes a polar scope,

illuminator and a ball head, and it accepts all accessories for the

original Star Adventurer.